Teacher contract could cost taxpayers more than $1m

DOVER — A new collective bargaining agreement with the city's teachers union could cost taxpayers an additional $1,114,846 over the next two fiscal years.

According to information released by the superintendent's office, $756,401 will be spent this year to give the 330 members of the bargaining unit 3.9 percent raises.

A new student loan reimbursement program will cost $19,490 if 16 teachers take advantage of the incentive, which offers $1,000 per year for up to five years. Bringing three of the district's school nurses to 100 percent of teacher's pay will cost taxpayers $21,887, which is included in the $756,401 figure.

For fiscal year 2016, if a new wage scale is not agreed upon for Dover's teachers, the district has agreed to give them their typical step increase of 3.2 percent as well as a 1.5 percent cost-of-living increase. With the nurse's new salary and the student loan program calculated in, the total estimated cost increase for next year would be $332,749.

These numbers take into account a $47,000 savings over the next two years due to a change of language in the health insurance policy. New teachers coming into the system will be responsible for more of their health care costs.

Those who approved of the contract, including City Councilor William Garrison III, have said they hope it will help Dover teachers close the gap between their salaries and benefits packages when compared to other like-sized communities within the state.

The council approved the teacher's union contract by an 8-0 vote during its July 9 meeting. Councilor Catherine Cheney was not present.

If all goes according to plan, a committee of five union members and the same district members who negotiated the new two-year agreement will continue to work together to develop a comprehensive compensation package designed to last between three and five years. That committee will be guided by the same person who worked as a mediator for the district and union negotiating teams, according to School Board member Sarah Greenshields.

Greenshields, who was a member of the negotiation team for the district, said part of the process in laying out the terms of the new contract was to develop a foundation for the long-term goals of the teacher's union while keeping in mind that Dover is a city with a tax cap. Greenshields spoke about the contract at length before the School Board approved the agreement by a vote of 4-1 during its June 23 meeting.

Doris Grady was the School Board member who voted against the contract, citing the fact that the board never got the chance to discuss the proposed agreement before being presented with a final version. During the meeting, she had many questions about the agreement's terms, particularly about how much it cost and who would benefit the most from the new contract.

Grady said she rejected the agreement because it did not remedy issues that new teachers have when coming into the school system, even with the student loan repayment program and a provision which promises to stop tenured teachers from making newer members cover for them during allocated preparation periods.

“The staff at the bottom received less money than the top steps and I had hoped to see the emphasis on the bottom step,” Grady said via email last week.

Greg Brown, president of the Dover Teachers' Union, said he hopes the committee can rectify more of the issues the district faces when attempting to retain new teachers.

“We do not want to continue to be a training facility in which young teachers gain a few years of experience and then leave for more lucrative positions. The cost to the district in recruiting new teachers, training new teachers, and losing the consistency and experience as people leave is not something that should be overlooked,” Brown said. “In just the past five years, Dover has lost 53 teachers who chose to leave the district (not including retirements). While some of those people left for family reasons and others for career advancement opportunities, many left for places like Oyster River, Portsmouth and Stratham, where both money and job stability were factors.”

Brown said the committee will take a close look at like-sized communities to see where pay and benefits need to be adjusted in order for the city to be competitive with other districts.

According to information provided by the district, a first-year teacher who has obtained a bachelor's degree earns at least $35,231. With a master's degree, the pay scale jumps to $37,996 as a starting point.

At the top step, a teacher with a bachelor's degree earns at least $63,164. With a master's degree, pay starts at $68,038. Of the 330 members of DTU's collective bargaining team, 108 are at the top step.

The School Board and City Council have also approved of agreements for the Dover Educational Office Personnel bargaining unit and the Dover Paraeducators' Association. Both of those contracts are for a three-year term and address issues with health care and severance provisions.